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Online Graduate Certificate in Public Administration

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Register By: November 28 Classes Start: November 30

Lead in the Public Sector by Earning a Public Administration Graduate Certificate Online

Learn how to employ responsive, efficient and accountable governance processes and policies in the Public Administration Graduate Certificate online program at Southern New Hampshire University. You'll gain the knowledge and insight you need to view governance issues from a public administrator's perspective.

The online public administration graduate certificate coursework will deepen your understanding of key public administration issues and policymaking practices at local, state, national and international levels. Examine the complexities of policymaking and learn why some policies are more effective than others.

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See Yourself Succeed in Public Administration

In the public administration graduate certificate online program, you’ll explore the challenges and strategies of effective governance and public administration. Learn how to:

  • Assess political, social, economic and administrative realities as a public administrator
  • Identify key competencies, values and issues important to public sector organizations
  • Create a mission statement and organizational goals and objectives
  • Conduct SWOT analysis and stakeholder analysis for public sector organizations
  • Design and implement a performance measurement and management system
  • Employ strategic management practices used by local, state, federal and nonprofit organizations

As a private, nonprofit university, SNHU has one mission – to help you see yourself succeed. The benefits of earning your public administration graduate certificate online at SNHU include:

  • Affordability. Take advantage of some of the most affordable tuition rates in the nation
  • Convenience. Attend class when it’s convenient for you – online education means 24/7 access
  • Efficiency and flexibility. Complete your certificate at your own pace, over five 10-week terms per year
  • Expert instruction. Learn from instructors with relevant, real-world experience
  • Networking. Tap into our nationwide network of alumni for internship and career opportunities
  • Student support. Count on the ongoing support of dedicated academic and career advisors specialized in your area of study

Career Outlook

An online graduate certificate in public administration provides an excellent credential and skill set, whether you are currently employed in or seeking a position in the public sector. Individuals working in larger private or nonprofit organizations that routinely interact with various levels of government will also benefit from the curriculum. Your graduate certificate coursework will introduce you to a wide range of public administration issues and management strategies, giving you broad exposure to contemporary issues in public administration.

Employment growth for administrative services managers is projected to increase 10% by 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.* Growth will come from the continued need for municipal governments to provide services such as fire protection, criminal justices systems, public works, libraries, schools, public health, transportation, housing and development due to an expanding population.

Curriculum

In the graduate marketing certificate online program, you’ll gain a foundation in public administration, public policy, strategic management and intergovernmental relations.

View Full Curriculum in the Catalog

Graduate Certificate in Public Administration

Courses May Include

PAD 630 Foundations of Public Administration
This course is designed to introduce students to the foundations and constraints that form the environment of the public administration. It will encourage and enable the view of governance issues through the eyes of a public administrator. The course is structured to provide basic skills and set the context of contemporary political, social, economic, and administrative realities. It explores responsive, equitable, effective, efficient, and accountable governance processes, public policies, and institutional-based programs. It also examines, from a multidisciplinary perspective, those essential competencies, values, and issues important to public service organizations and the importance of public policy at the local, state, national and international levels.
PAD 631 Strategic Management in Public Service
This course is designed to provide an academic foundation to applied strategic management in public service. Identifying the factors that differentiate public service from the private sector, strategic planning and the implications those differences have for managers. Emphasis is placed on applied strategic planning and management including how to create a mission statement, conduct a SWOT analysis, conduct a stakeholder analysis, writing goals and objectives, and how to design and implement a performance measurement and management system. Current approaches to strategic management used by federal, state, local, and non-profit organizations are emphasized.
PAD 632 Foundations of Public Policy
This course is an introduction to the public policy process. Students will develop an understanding of what "political" and "public policy" mean. Topics discussed include why some problems reach the public agenda, why some solutions are adopted, why others are rejected, why some policies appear to succeed while others appear to fail. The course also examines the complexity of policymaking at the national, state, and local levels.
PAD 633 Intergovernmental Relations
This course is designed to demonstrate the challenges and strategies for governance and administration in an institutional environment of fragmented authority and dispersed power. It defines the balance of shared powers between the layers and institutions of government poses and the considerable challenges to policymakers and administrators. Major dimensions of intergovernmental relations: the vertical dimension of federal, states, and local governments, that cooperate, coordinate, and compete for shares of power, and the horizontal dimension in which sub-governments interact with one another. The course examines the structure of American political institutions, the nature of complex policymaking, governance by networks, and the consequences of competition between governments.

Total Credits: 12

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer a 25% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.

Online Graduate Programs Per Course Per Credit Hour Annual Cost for 15 credits 
Degree/Certificates $1,881 $627 $9,405 
Degree/Certificates
(U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty) 		$1,410 $470 $7,050 

Tuition rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.

Additional Costs:
$150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)

University Accreditation

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) as well as several other accrediting bodies.

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*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the Internet, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/administrative-services-managers.htm (viewed online December 15, 2017). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.